Sequins of Events

Eight years and still going strong. This is the impressive benchmark set by Su’ad of CT and Farasha of
NJ with their eighth annual Master Seminar and Showcase weekend featuring Amel Tafsout and the
legendary Morocco of NY. The focus was on North African dance, a refreshing change from all cabaret,
all the time, as one so often encounters these days. More than just the theme for a weekend dance
workshop, the emphasis on the indigenous dances of this region of the world brought with it a sense
of urgency articulated by Morocco herself. At the end of the Saturday evening showcase, Morocco
reminded the audience that in certain countries in the Middle East and North Africa, the freedom to
dance has been curtailed, or indeed, dancers have even been punished. We Americans so often take
our precious freedoms for granted, so it is difficult for us to imagine being jailed for acting on the elemental
human impulse to dance. But, that is what is happening and it threatens the very existence of
Middle Eastern dance as an art form. As Morocco put it, we must preserve the dance for the people
of the Middle East in order to give it back to them when circumstances allow. Few artists and scholars
have done more to preserve this dance genre for future generations of dancers than have Morocco
and Amel Tafsout.

Morocco opened the show with a Guedra, or Blessing Dance, of the Tuareg people. The Tuareg are a
Berber tribe who are often called the “Blue People” because of the blue tinge their skin acquires from
the indigo dye in their clothing. As with most trance dances, the movements of the Guedra are simple
and specifically symbolic. The hand flicks peculiar to the Guedra are not arbitrary; the dancer sends
them out to the four compass directions, to the four elements of the earth, and to the three elements of
time. And here is the point of preserving precious cultural treasures like the Guedra - these hand flicks
are not subject to whim of a dancer doing “My Own Interpretation of the Guedra.” They have a specific,
evolved purpose which makes the Guedra a unique dance worth preserving. And thanks to Morocco’s
extensive field research to study this and other dances, coupled with her indefatigable teaching, it
will be preserved.

Dressed in an elegant black and gold beladi dress, Morocco later closed the show with a classic raks
sharki set. And speaking of things endangered, she chose to incorporate zills into her performance, the
only dancer of the evening to do so. Morocco’s two contrasting performances demonstrated the depth
and breadth of her long and illustrious career as a dancer, researcher, teacher, and choreographer. If
anyone can be considered a living, breathing encyclopedia of Middle-Eastern dance, it is Morocco.
Her contribution to the preservation of and appreciation for Middle Eastern dance cannot be easily
measured. We, the dance community, are richer for her lifelong devotion to Middle Eastern dance.
Thank you, Morocco!

Amel Tafsout’s warm and charming presence lit up the stage like the sun on desert sands. Ms. Tafsout
is a native of Algeria and, after a few stops along the way, is currently residing here in the USA. Along
with her passion for the dances of the Maghreb, she is also a language teacher. Ms. Tafsout presented two
intriguing folk dances, an Andalusian and a Berber, the latter performed to a deliciously rollicking 6/8,
a rhythm often heard in North African music. Her easy lightness of movement and expressive hands
and face manifested an authentic soul for this art form; this is how these dances should look.
An interesting mix of performers rounded out the evening’s program. Among the notable performances
were Su’ad’s Desert Moon Dancers, who presented a well-balanced set of their signature routines.
Raya put an exclamation point on the troupe’s energetic performance with a sizzling drum solo. Gia
Khalsa of CT’s troupe, Venus Rising, vividly arrayed in shades of purple, performed to a Lorena McKennitt
song. Gia characterized her evolving dance style as “soft tribal;” it suits her well. Farasha’s students
Shadia and Samia cheerfully presented a nicely detailed choreography by Morocco. Kahaz of ME
generously supplied a dollop of humor. She wore pink, bubble gum pink. With her tongue planted
firmly in her cheek, Kahaz boldly spoofed the oh-so-serious dancers among us to the tune of “Rock the
Casbah.” Karima Nadira, who teaches at Morocco’s NYC studio, presented a self-assured performance
that showed off her neatly articulated movements. Her lovely gold and turquoise beladi dress was the
fashion highlight of evening.

Our hostesses, Su-ad and Farasha, each favored us with a fine solo presentation. It is amazing that, on
top of organizing and running a full weekend of workshops, vending and the showcase, they had the
energy to dance! But, as they note every year at the end of the show, they could not do it all without the
help and loyal support of their families and friends. When these annual seminars began, Su’ad’s daughter
was a shy tot who clung to her Mom’s skirts and who curled up on a chair and fell asleep before the
show’s end. This year, the teen was the DJ.

Soapbox alert. Okay. There was something that marred this otherwise pleasant evening of dance. Much has been discussed in various outlets over the past few years about ten-lesson wonders hanging out
their belly dance teaching shingles. Lighten up, it’s just a hobby, you say. What is the harm? Aside from
the fact that such teachers are qualified to teach little more than a hip drop, too many are oblivious to the
essential details that make a dance student presentable on stage, let alone polished. “Costume malfunctions” do happen, some more famously than others, but a teacher who does not ensure that her students attend to details such as making sure one’s underpants do not show so much that the audience might actually wonder if they are meant to be part of the costume, well…that teacher maybe is not so ready to teach. There is absolutely no reason that even a beginner sent out for her very first turn on stage should not look neatly put together. Merely possessing the burning desire to be a belly dance teacher does not compensate for a lackof bona fides.

Kudos to Su’ad and Farasha on an eight-years-and-counting run of presenting stellar master dance talent
that annually brightens the dreary tail end of a Connecticut winter.  Here’s to many more!